Last night we ate in The Navigation Inn a warm and friendly, rather quirky pub with a good sized restaurant. Very friendly personal service making you feel you were somewhere much posher and to cap it all the food was good. If you do plan to visit they only open Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday, the times are HERE
This morning the boat we had moored behind, stern to stern departed at about 6AM, he had spent all yesterday afternoon trying to get his cat back so a lay in was not really on the cards so we shoved off at our normal 10AM. heading for the end of navigation at Gronwyn Bridge.
The last winding hole is just passed Crofts Mill Lift Bridge, just prior to the bridge the canal is quite wide but the channel limited like so many places on this canal. Just past the bridge is an arm leading to the home of Oswestry Boat Builders. After winding we made our way back to Maesbury where we stopped to top up with water before carrying on upstream. Beside the 3 Aston locks there is a nature reserve with a large hide complete with turf roof.
Again the off side is protected from boats to protect the rear fauna and flora, all I saw were brambles and Floating Pennywort.
We stopped for lunch opposite The Queens Head and then I gave the pigeon Box top a coat of Sadlin before we set off again. We were to pass even larger patches of Pennywort as we made our way to
Graham Palmer lock. The lead in to the lock is curved and set well over from the lock moorings, Along the edge is a wide, thick metal band to protect the brickwork, you would have thought by now someone would have realised its to high to do any good, It may have been OK for high bowed working boats, but not leisure craft. I wonder how much brick work will be destroyed before something is done.
In the field between the lock and the junction this stand in the field, its not a post box, anyone have any ideas what it might be?
We moored for the night down the Western Arm, yesterday when we came down from the Llangollen it was packed, today its just us and a boat that arrived a short time ago.
Diana found some plum trees with loads of high fruit, a good shake on the branches with the boat hook soon had it falling to the ground, there are also loads of damsons but they are not quite ripe yet. Of course you can’t visit the Montgomery Canal without seeing these chaps buzzing about, 3 was the most we saw at one time but mainly singles.
Todays Journey
7½ miles, 4 Locks in 4¼ hours
Now the internet has improved the Google map has been updated HERE
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